A Change Will Do You Good {Apollo}

Saturday morning dawned bright and cool, a welcome reprieve from the windy, rainy, sleet that had prevailed most of the week. Breakfast that morning had been like every other that she had had over the course of her six years at Hogwarts though there was an underlying current that seemed to be building with everyone beginning to get cabin fever. It was enough to make your skin crawl. Fallon knew it would be the perfect time to get out of the castle.

Pulling on a heavy sweater she filled her bag with a scroll of parchment and her potions and herbology books. Fallon was ahead in her studies but that never stopped her for trying to put even more in. With a nod to a few of her housemates she made her way out of the common room and out towards the grounds. The library was bound to be empty that time of morning but after being inside all week she was taking a chance on taking the short hike to the quidditch pitch. As soon as she hit the cool morning air she smiled, her cheeks rosy with color. Some would have found it too cold but to her it was perfect.

Nearing the pitch she could see someone up flying around the towers but she thought nothing of it. It wasn't abnormal to see a student or two flying on the weekend by themselves. Climbing the stairs she took a seat near the top, leaning back against wood to get comfortable. Within minutes she had her nose buried in her potions book rereading over the lessons they had the week prior. While potions was one of her best subjects she still had to work twice as hard as anyone else to fully grasp the concepts. Kicking her feet up she flipped the page losing herself in formulas and uses of rare potions.

Apollo didn't often head out to the Quidditch pitch for no reason. Either he was out there for practice with the Slytherin team, or he needed to think. Of course, rarely - if ever - was he interrupted during his thinking sessions. He tended to go out when others would be studying or playing with their housemates or friends indoors. Wizard Chess, it seemed, was always a viable option. It was a bit early for such things, though.

It wasn't too early for his thought process, though. Not today.

Ever since Christian's accident, the older twin had been considering the pieces of the sport he loved so well his brother feared so thoroughly. Perhaps, he mused, part of his endeavors in the future in the realm of health and medicine, he would find ways to improve the safety of the players.

Today, however, he was surprised. A dark-haired girl was making her way up to the stands by the time he made it around the pitch another time. It wasn't hard to catch the bright yellow of her house crest, though he didn't notice it until he was a bit closer. Curiosity got the better of him, and joined forces with his desire to stop worrying. The combination sent him around one of the tall pillars, and he came up along the back of the stands.

As he came to a stop, he allowed himself to hover a few feet away, smirking to himself at his ability to keep quiet until he wanted to get her attention.

"Morning," he greeted suddenly, his voice carrying a bit too far. Oh well. There was no-one else around to judge him for it. His hands left the broom handle after relaxing to test the broom's willingness to stay put. Once he felt sturdy, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and grinned at her. "A bit early for a trip through the textbooks isn't it?"

Fallon flipped the page with ease not really focusing on the material in front of her. It had been a long week and a stressful owl from her mother had thrown her off. Her brother had been having issues at the ministry and her mother of course wanted to get involved. Fallon wanted no part of the drama. It was bad enough her mom kept almost everything magical from her father, her dad happy to remain oblivious. Frowning she hated to think her own life could end up like that, but you couldn't help who you fell in love with, or so they said.

As she leaned forward to pull a bit of parchment from her bag she hummed slightly one of her recent compositions that was stuck in her head. Fallon loved music almost as much as she loved helping people. She was torn on what to do after school, on one hand she loved the idea of being a healer and on the other she like the idea of opening her own potions shop. Both took an equal place in her heart, and she knew she still had at least two years before she had to make a decision towards one or the other.

Fingers finally found the parchment, only to send it flying through the air when the voice sounded in front of her. Looking up with wide eyes she smiled slightly, "Good morning." Watching her parchment tumble down the stands she shook her head with a chuckle, "I suppose it is, but it was either this or a trip to the library." Settling back she crossed her feet on the bench in front of her.

Looking up at him she continued to smile, "Isn't it a bit cold flying this early in the day? I mean it's chilly enough just sitting down here, I can't imagine being up there with the wind whipping against you."

Apollo had to concede that she did have a point. Nodding, he looked down at his arms and chuckled before bringing his eyes back to hers. "Fair point."

He recognized her now. A year ahead of him, and indeed a Hufflepuff. She probably knew Christian far better than she knew him, but any worry he might've had about her potentially disliking him from the start evaporated as she continued to smile at him. Interesting.

Apollo glanced around and considered her question. "I suppose," he replied after a moment, tilting his head to either side. "I find it helps me think, though. Much more than a library would. Although I would wager that you have the same opinion about that, considering you're out here as well. What are you working on?"

Picking at the sleeve of her sweater absently for a moment she closed her book knowing her train of thought was long gone. Granted her focus was long gone before he showed up before her so she couldn't put the blame on him. It took her a moment to place him, as she rarely associated with anyone outside of her own house.

She had to admit that she did not know much about him but Fallon had been lost in her own world for a better part of six years something she had resolved to fix that year. But with half the year gone already Fallon would be the first to admit that she had failed. He was a Slytherin, if her memory served her correctly, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that in her book. She held everyone to the same standards and was slow to reserve judgment about others, something her mother told her would get her in trouble some day. Fallon was naive as they came, and gullible to boot.

Moving the book to the bench beside her leg she nodded, "You are right surprisingly enough, I often bring my studies outside. Here, the courtyard, the gardens and this little place down by the lake. Usually places you wouldn't find anyone else based on the time of day. I like the quiet out here. Its peaceful when its not game day."

Lowering her gaze back towards her book she ran her fingers over the cover, "Potions, rereading what we went over in class this week. I mean it didn't seem that hard but I want to make sure I get it in case we have a surprise test or something..."

"I can't say I know which place by the lake you're talking about," Apollo admitted. "Then again, you probably guessed that I would be up here most game days, regardless."

Leaning towards the stands, Apollo reached out and lifted himself  from the broom and up onto the seat next to her book. The broom he sat one row lower to ensure that it would not fall. His feet, however, dangled over the back of the stands, so he leaned back and spun himself around to sit properly.

"Ah," he replied, nodding. "Potions is one of the classes I'm not too fussed about. If you're stuck on anything, perhaps I can explain it to you. Typically," he went on, holding his hands up in a mock-surrender sort of gesture, "I would not offer my help so easily. Consider yourself flattered." Apollo paused to grin at her cheekily and show that he spoke in jest. "But I've been told recently that if one wants to know if they are proficient in something, they should try to teach it to someone. So if you'd like to try, that would work, too."

Lifting a shoulder in a half-shrug, he lifted his heels onto the seat below him and crossed his feet at the ankles. "Unless you'd like to chat about something else."